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Should you eat three big meals or many mini-meals?

By Lisa Drayer, CNN

Updated 1854 GMT (0254 HKT) June 2, 2017

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To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, which inevitably means one thing: portion control. But you're not necessarily doomed to a growling stomach until you reach your goal.<br /><br />"Portion control doesn't mean you have to eat tiny portions of everything," says Lisa Young, author of "The Portion Teller Plan: The No-Diet Reality Guide to Eating, Cheating, and Losing Weight Permanently." "You don't want to feel like you're on a diet, but you have to eat fewer calories."<br /><br />Here are 14 easy ways to cut portions, trim calories and lose fat without counting the minutes until your next meal.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20501331,00.html" target="_blank">Health.com: 16 ways to lose weight fast </a><br />
Photos: 14 ways to cut portions without feeling hungry
To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, which inevitably means one thing: portion control. But you're not necessarily doomed to a growling stomach until you reach your goal.

"Portion control doesn't mean you have to eat tiny portions of everything," says Lisa Young, author of "The Portion Teller Plan: The No-Diet Reality Guide to Eating, Cheating, and Losing Weight Permanently." "You don't want to feel like you're on a diet, but you have to eat fewer calories."

Here are 14 easy ways to cut portions, trim calories and lose fat without counting the minutes until your next meal.

Health.com: 16 ways to lose weight fast
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Drink 16 ounces (a big glass) of water before you eat, suggests Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of "The Flexitarian Diet." Filling your belly with water will naturally make you less likely to overeat, she says. Plus, some symptoms of dehydration may actually be what's causing your rumbling belly, so sipping some water before you eat may eliminate your "hunger" altogether. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20767031,00.html" target="_blank">Health.com: 10 ways your personality affects your weight </a><br />
Photos: 14 ways to cut portions without feeling hungry
Drink 16 ounces (a big glass) of water before you eat, suggests Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of "The Flexitarian Diet." Filling your belly with water will naturally make you less likely to overeat, she says. Plus, some symptoms of dehydration may actually be what's causing your rumbling belly, so sipping some water before you eat may eliminate your "hunger" altogether.

Health.com: 10 ways your personality affects your weight
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We're not suggesting you squeeze into pants that are too tight. However, wearing an outfit with a waistband or perhaps a jacket with buttons can serve as a tool to prompt you to slow down and assess how you feel during your meal, says Young. As your clothing begins to feel a little snugger, it may keep you from going back for seconds. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20454528,00.html" target="_blank">Health.com: 25 ways to cut 500 calories a day </a><br />
Photos: 14 ways to cut portions without feeling hungry
We're not suggesting you squeeze into pants that are too tight. However, wearing an outfit with a waistband or perhaps a jacket with buttons can serve as a tool to prompt you to slow down and assess how you feel during your meal, says Young. As your clothing begins to feel a little snugger, it may keep you from going back for seconds.

Health.com: 25 ways to cut 500 calories a day
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Bulking up your meals with veggies is one easy way to cut calories while filling you up fast. Spinach can be used as a sandwich topper or can add fiber and nutrients to pasta and stir-fries, says Blatner. Other ideas to eat more veggies: swap in mushrooms for half the ground meat in most recipes, make oatmeal more filling with diced apples, and use a whole-wheat pita in place of bread so you can stuff it with more veggies. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20768565,00.html" target="_blank">Health.com: Lose 10 inches in 10 days </a><br />
Photos: 14 ways to cut portions without feeling hungry
Bulking up your meals with veggies is one easy way to cut calories while filling you up fast. Spinach can be used as a sandwich topper or can add fiber and nutrients to pasta and stir-fries, says Blatner. Other ideas to eat more veggies: swap in mushrooms for half the ground meat in most recipes, make oatmeal more filling with diced apples, and use a whole-wheat pita in place of bread so you can stuff it with more veggies.

Health.com: Lose 10 inches in 10 days
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The color of your plate may influence how much you eat, according to a 2012 Cornell University study. The researchers discovered that when a plate and the food on it had a low color-contrast (like pasta with Alfredo sauce on a white plate), people at a buffet served themselves 22% more than when there was a higher color-contrast (like pasta with red sauce on a white plate or pasta with Alfredo sauce on a red plate). <br /><br />The study conclusions suggest that if you want to eat less, select plates that have a color contrast to the food you're eating for dinner. Or if you want to eat more healthy foods, like a bigger salad, eat greens from a large green plate or bowl! <br /><br /><a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20746339,00.html" target="_blank">Health.com: 9 foods that boost metabolism naturally </a><br />
Photos: 14 ways to cut portions without feeling hu